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Mmmm….nothing else would do today. I’m trying to cut back on my consumption of milk and sugar in my tea so this is the perfect fit. This tea is amazing sans additions.
I actually just realized that I recently passed my one year Steepster-versary and quite a bit of things have changed in relation to what type of tea I like. I have always like black tea, but I’ve now branched out into the other types as well. I like green oolongs way more than I ever thought possible and I’ve even grown quite fond of rooibos. If you had told me a year ago that one of my favorite teas would be preferred without milk and sugar AND that it was a black tea, I would have laughed you out of the room. However, my taste preferences have changed drastically over the past year and I’ve really enjoyed exploring the world of tea while meeting some amazing people here on Steepster.
It is nice to know where to find people that are as neurotic as you are about tea, of all things!
Preparation
Ok, not much new to add except this tea is still going strong at infusion 3. Seriously, a black tea that is perfectly delicious and holds up so well. This tea deserves a 100 if any tea does. To top it off, the texture is still rich, thick, and brothy which is something I’ve rarely found in teas.
When I first joined Steepster and began my love and obsession of tea, I realized early on that I almost always enjoyed teas that JacquelineM enjoyed. However, when she first began raving about this tea I was skeptical. Black tea with no additives? Steeped for more than 5 minutes? Tangy? Roasty?
Well, I have secretly been eyeing this tea for awhile, but recently began dreaming of it since it is supposed to be amazing with Everything Bagels. I love Everything Bagels! So I bit the bullet and ordered myself a sizeable bag which I received today. I originally planned to try this tomorrow because of the caffeine, but after smelling the leaves I was sold. So here I am drinking this tea sans additions (and I pretty much add milk/sugar to black teas as a rule!) AND I love this tea. Seriously, I feel like I have had many delicious teas but this is complex, smooth, roasty, cocoa and naturally sweet tea. I don’t exactly know how to describe it so luckily JacquelineM has already done an outstanding job of this.
Wow, this tea is good and I just can’t believe that I love this so much. I am considering a very high rating, but first I will give a good rating. If the next infusion is that amazing, a rating of a 100 may be one the way.
YAY!!!!! If there is anything in my cupboard that you would like to try, please PM me! I would have definitely sent you some of this to try :) P.S. I made bagels from scratch this weekend and they were so good! Here is the recipe!
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/bronx-worthy-bagels/
I will definitely have to try making those bagels! Thanks for turning me on to this tea also, it is amazing. Even the second infusion is rich and delicious.
Fantastic note! And thanks for the bonus bagel recipe :D
So Auggy and I aren’t the only taste-twins about. :)
This is very nice. Sort of a rich, syrupy tasting golden monkey (and both are made in the Fuijian region). I am not sure if I picked out any cocoa notes, but more like a deep malty flavor. This is very nice. The best part? This is a strong tasting tea similar to an Assam but no sugar/milk needed. This is a perfect cup – for a first drink in the morning.
Oh, hello lover.
He’s rich and golden, gently sweet with just a hint of astringency/bitter. Crisp, malty, honey, bakey, beautiful. Perfect to cuddle up with on a cold December morning.
Thank you, JacquelineM, for sending me this tea. He’s wonderful, and I must have more of him in my life. This first pot is already gone, and I have such a horrible sad right now.
ETA: Second steep at 6 minutes. Less honey taste, much more robust. Edging on the bitter side without getting there and all the better for it. Excuse me, we’re going to cuddle now.
Preparation
Have you met his girlfriend, Queen Catherine? She is pretty awesome, too.
No, I haven’t met her yet…oh, dear, is she good for cuddling, too?
The Emperor can hardly keep his hands off of her! But really, she is the tea I turn to when I wake up sore and stiff instead of feeling rested. She doesn’t whack you in the head and rough you up, but as a morning tea with milk and sugar her tiny tinge of smoke does tell you to get a hold of herself and get to it! And she is quite lovely with cookies plain in the afternoon.
Oh, want. I love smokey teas!
I had Jacqueline’s breakfast today! My first bagel in 31 years since I tried them when I was really young and went “bleh.” I could eat this! I mean I could eat this regularly! A Panera bread opened here just a few days ago so I bought an everything bagel for myself and a Cinnamon Crunch for hubby. We had it for breakfast with Golden Monkey That Tastes Like Panyang Congou and Goes Really Well With An Everything Bagel. It does, it does!
I resteeped the leaves skeptically, because there are not that many black teas that are strong enough for me on the rebrew. This one does it nicely, though. There is still plenty of flavor to keep me interested in my cup. First steep was 4 minutes, second was 4 1/2.
Preparation
This really is a Golden Monkey that tastes like a Panyang Congou, and I have no idea how it tastes with an everything bagel but it is very good with chocolate covered pretzels and Pepperidge Farm cookies! It is less sweet and honeyed than the Golden Monkey from Harney and Sons, and leans toward the flavor of Emperor’s Red. Thank you, JacquelineM! This was the guest favorite at today’s tea! Even my youngest liked it with no additives, and that is very unique!
Preparation
I don’t know is I should thank Ashmanra for sending me a sample of this tea for now I love what I do not have. It does have a lovely roasty aroma. It is a dark color and the taste is of dark chocolate. The taste is so rich to me that it feels thick in my mouth than it really is, I think it has the mouth feel equal to a syrup. The second steep was just as wonderful. I am currently contemplating tempting fate with a third.
I wasn’t going to log the teas from tea party this week, because we have had them all before, but I just had to go ahead and review Emperor’s Red again because it was especially arresting this week. We had Baker Street by Upton first, and followed with this one. For some reason it tasted unbelievably chocolate-y. It is dark, rich, and smooth. No additions, perfect as is.
I had a lovely tea lunch with youngest daughter. Since we were both drinking the same kind of tea today I used the big red pot Sandy sent to us from New Zealand and brewed some Emperor’s Red from JacquelineM! The rich, cocoa aroma will win your heart! We are on the second resteep and it is still so good. I took mine plain and enjoyed all the nuance, but youngest took hers with milk and sugar. It is that kind of tea – you can enjoy it no matter what your tea tastes may be.
We paired it with Genoa salami and Kerrygold Dubliner cheese from Ireland in honor of oldest daughter’s imminent departure for a month in Ireland. Music to accompany the meal – Sandy Denny’s “It Suits Me Well.”
What a lovely day! It began with Sandy’s dog, Sasha, catching our mole at 8 am when I joined youngest daughter in her tent out back where she had camped out in hopes of catching Mr. Mole. Fortunately Sasha obeyed when I screamed, "Leave it! " and we were able to capture the little guy for release later. He is happily hunkered down inside my gardening glove with worms in the fingers (that will definitely have to be washed in HOT water before I wear them again!). I let the mantis join us for tea, but I drew the line at the mole. While he is certainly as cute as the mantis, his little home has more dirt and he smells terrible! Do all moles smell this bad? Oh, she named him “Diggory Delvet.”
Preparation
That is a day alright! I just spent some time with this lovable pest:
http://www.spo.gs/RetroCamera.jsp?img=tSQQ
He is my neighbor’s cat who I saw kill a bird last week. I had to talk to him about it and tell him it was wrong and all that, being he was in my yard snooping for more birds.
Most moles I have had the pleasure of meeting do have a distinctive aroma.
What a great review and story. You painted some good mental pictures for us.
It is the little things isn’t it? Some good food, a little nice music, family, a faithful dog…tea. What else could we need or want?
JacquelineM – That kitty looks like he is a character! I have one who visits my feeders in hopes of getting a birdie, and I shoo him off, but Mr. Hawk thinks it is a birdie dispenser and I guess I am still feeding birds when HE gets one, so….
Teawing – Distinctive smell, indeed! Garlic spaghetti, wild onion, and armpit. LOL!
But youngest thinks he is the softest, most beautiful thing EVER!
How is the mole doing today? :)
Full of earthworms and waxworms and enjoying life! He has been to visit a number of our friends and will HOPEFULLY be released by this evening! (Youngest is asking to keep him forever. I told her Mr. Mole needs a girlfriend.)
LOL!
I hope he finds a beautiful Mole Wife where you release him! Maybe one day he will tell his Mole Children about the Magic Ladies who fed him earthtworms and waxworms then took him to meet his wife!
Jacqueline – I sent the pic to your email so you can see him having tea time with us! I couldn’t figure out how to post a link like you do – but I don’t have a smart phone or anything to link to RetroCamera. He is so soft…
I put him on my flickr so everyone can see him big!!!!!!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackiemania/5850807458/in/photostream
Thank you! :)
Thanks for posting the picture, and what a regal cup he used!
That mole is pretty cute in that tea cup!
He’s adorable! I’d have a hard time sending him away.
Sigh. He was supposed to go yesterday, then today, now tomorrow…daughter says she needs photos of the release! He is indeed adorable, though, and so soft and sweet. He is really enjoying his waxworms and earthworms. We bought him some imported Belgian worms that supposedly will last months in the refrigerator! LOL! But we have two species of box turtles in the yard to feed, so we needed to buy all those worms anyway!
I just ran across this review again. How about a really late update? Youngest is away at college, and I miss our tea times together. Mr, Mole was released at my mother-in-law’s woods. He apparently found that girlfriend, because I was there today to dig up some daffodils as a reminder of gardening with my mother-in-law, and what should I see all over the back lawn but mole tunnels and hills! Mr. Mole himself or his children? What a poignant reminder as I am feeling a little sad and missing people tonight.
